Portnoy and Day Job and Double Frost* Album?? Oh, My!!

[BeyondThePale]

Dream Theater is like a gateway drug, for Prog.

A lot of people hear them first, and love them, and then get into all sorts of other Prog, and then they realize they don't like Dream Theater anymore because everything else is so much better.

Yeah, that's why they're selling more records than all those 'better' progbands combined.. Seriously, they were indeed the band that got me into prog 15 years ago. Although I discovered many many more bands since then, they're still one of my favorites.

Ontopic: great to read that Jem is already thinking about new Frost* material, with EIMA just released. And.. the Frost reports will be back Incredible how he keeps up with everything, besides his 'dayjob'..

Record sales don't mean a damn thing. By that logic, Britney Spears is one of the best musicians to have ever lived. I still like DT once in a while but there really are much better bands, Frost* included. Two albums in and they're already that much better than DT. If it came down to a keyboard duel between Jem and Jordan Rudess, Rudess might play faster but Jem would play stuff much more interesting to listen to.

[James_S]

Record sales don't mean a damn thing. By that logic, Britney Spears is one of the best musicians to have ever lived. I still like DT once in a while but there really are much better bands, Frost* included. Two albums in and they're already that much better than DT. If it came down to a keyboard duel between Jem and Jordan Rudess, Rudess might play faster but Jem would play stuff much more interesting to listen to.

Why does one band have to be "better" than another - can't you appreciate the good parts of both bands?

Its not a competition - its something that appeals to your emotions. If you like Frost* more than DT, then thats fine, but it doesn't make DT a bad band does it?

But never mind that - did you know that the Caistor Canal was a 4-mile (6.4km) canal in Lincolnshire, England, constructed in 1800 and abandoned in 1936. It ran from the River Ancholme, near South Kelsey toward Caistor through 6 locks, although it did not reach the town as it terminated in Moortown 3.5 miles (5.6km) away.

[rogerg]

and when the boats leaked, we got Caistor Oil.

[vocalnick]

Why on earth is it always Britney Spears who gets trotted out when somebody wants to make the "sales don't equal quality" argument? She delivers great performances of excellent pop material.

But keeping things somewhat on topic, did you know that The Australian Canal Society was formed by fourteen canal enthusiasts who had enjoyed personal contact with British canals or who had an academic interest in them. They met for the first time in Dundas, a north-western suburb of Sydney in May 1988. The fledgling group immediately outgrew a living room and has met quarterly ever since in a church hall nearby, with attendances between 50 and 70 each meeting.

[rogerg]

The fledgling group immediately outgrew a living room

I hope that no one was hurt.

[James_S]

Why on earth is it always Britney Spears who gets trotted out when somebody wants to make the "sales don't equal quality" argument? She delivers great performances of excellent pop material.

But keeping things somewhat on topic, did you know that The Australian Canal Society was formed by fourteen canal enthusiasts who had enjoyed personal contact with British canals or who had an academic interest in them. They met for the first time in Dundas, a north-western suburb of Sydney in May 1988. The fledgling group immediately outgrew a living room and has met quarterly ever since in a church hall nearby, with attendances between 50 and 70 each meeting.

So they came to britain and fell in a canal?

[Mikey]

"sales don't equal quality"

I'd happily settle for being as talentless as some people think Britney is if you give me the money

Maybe that needs another    just in case

[BeyondThePale]

Record sales don't mean a damn thing. By that logic, Britney Spears is one of the best musicians to have ever lived. I still like DT once in a while but there really are much better bands, Frost* included. Two albums in and they're already that much better than DT. If it came down to a keyboard duel between Jem and Jordan Rudess, Rudess might play faster but Jem would play stuff much more interesting to listen to.

Why does one band have to be "better" than another - can't you appreciate the good parts of both bands?

Its not a competition - its something that appeals to your emotions. If you like Frost* more than DT, then thats fine, but it doesn't make DT a bad band does it?

But never mind that - did you know that the Caistor Canal was a 4-mile (6.4km) canal in Lincolnshire, England, constructed in 1800 and abandoned in 1936. It ran from the River Ancholme, near South Kelsey toward Caistor through 6 locks, although it did not reach the town as it terminated in Moortown 3.5 miles (5.6km) away.

Oh, you're definitely right on that. I guess the point I was trying to make is that by most prog standards, DT is quite mechanical and not nearly as gripping, emotionally, as most people once thought. I just outgrew them I guess. I still love Scenes From A Memory and Under a Glass Moon is still my favorite guitar solo of all time. =P

[MartijnB]

Oh, you're definitely right on that. I guess the point I was trying to make is that by most prog standards, DT is quite mechanical and not nearly as gripping, emotionally, as most people once thought. I just outgrew them I guess. I still love Scenes From A Memory and Under a Glass Moon is still my favorite guitar solo of all time. =P

That's why my remark about record sales wasn't too serious.. Of course it's not all about sales, although it says something.

As stated above, it's not a contest. But just because you don't like DT anymore as you used to, doesn't mean they're 'better or worse' for everyone. The band's popularity is still growing with each record, which clearly indicates they must still hit the right spot for a lot of people with their new music as well. Whose prog standards? I guess it's just your personal perception of music

[Valhall]

Amen.

[Dodie]

Oh, you're definitely right on that. I guess the point I was trying to make is that by most prog standards, DT is quite mechanical and not nearly as gripping, emotionally, as most people once thought. I just outgrew them I guess. I still love Scenes From A Memory and Under a Glass Moon is still my favorite guitar solo of all time. =P

I've always found DT hit and miss. When they hit emotional territory I respond to, I love it. The last two albums are much more enjoyable to me than some of their immediate predecessors. But I'm not a big metal fan, and I like it best when DT play tunes. I guess I'm not obsessively pro or anti DT, but take it a track or album at a time.

But as for favourite guitar solo of all time, well, that would be an icy path for me to walk upon. For me, a great solo isn't about the guitarist shredding (though that can be thrilling and impressive), but rather what the overall music communicates. And for that, I'd struggle to think of something more moving than Mark Knopfler's solo on "Tunnel of love" (especially the Alchemy Live version).

Hang on, shouldn't I have written this in the "Musical Embarrassment" thread?  :roll: It's still totally uncool to love Dire Straits, but they were fantastic until 1984 (and still quite good in patches after that). Is it because their well-crafted songs don't fit in snugly with the media's trend of nostalgia for 80s naffness?

Cheers

David

[D S]

Dire Straits have a lot to answer for - it was hearing Sultans of Swing in 1979 that made me want to buy a guitar...

Yes, Knopfler went a little too country for my taste latterly and tracks like Walk of Life I find very sad but Making Movies and Love Over Gold are just brilliant IMO.  And if anyone knows of a better and more honest (i.e. no overdubs) live album than Alchemy, I want to hear it...

DS (not caring if anyone thinks he's dreadfully untrendy!)  

[rogerg]

it's all music, and if you like it, you like it, and no apologies necessary.  who you were with, what you were doing, how you were feeling, it all goes into it.

[johninblack]

it's all music, and if you like it, you like it, and no apologies necessary.  who you were with, what you were doing, how you were feeling, it all goes into it.

Well put sir, that's what makes this place special, most of us although we like/love prog we are mostly open to many other influences. In my book that has to be a good thing.

[Dave M]

it's all music, and if you like it, you like it, and no apologies necessary.  who you were with, what you were doing, how you were feeling, it all goes into it.

Well put sir, that's what makes this place special, most of us although we like/love prog we are mostly open to many other influences. In my book that has to be a good thing.

WORD !

Music .. it's the sound track to our lives ... for me it always brings memories back to me when listeing to my music.